Combination-lock



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet', 1.

J. E. R, RIDDIGK.

' GOMBINATION 1.00K.

No. 476,821. Patented June 14, 1892.

III 1 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. E; R. RIDDICK.

COMBINATION LOCK. Nm 476,821.. Patented June 14, 1892.

llllllllllllllllllllll l UNiTED STATES JAMES E. R. RIDDICK, OF W'AKEFIELD, VIRGINIA.

COMBINATION-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,821, dated June 14, 1892. Application filed April 2, 1891. Serial No. 387,377. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be itknown that I, JAMES E. R. RIDDICK, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of vVakefield, in the county of Sussex and State of Virginia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to permutatiorr locks; and my object is to provide a simple, durable, and cheap lock of this character which will be susceptible of almost innumerable combinations.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my lock, part of the casing being removed; Fig. 2, a view on line oc .fc of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the tumblers in their normal position. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of the bolt portion of the lock with bifurcation, pegs, and slots, as hereinafter described; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the tumblers in position, and Fig. 6 a sectional View of a modication of my lock.

In the drawings hereinabove referred to the numeral 1 indicates the casing of the lock, and 2 a slidable bolt having suitable guides 3. The bolt 2 may, as is obvious, be either a single, a double, or a triplicate bolt, the outer I ends of which bolt or bolts project into the frame-work adjoining the door containing the lock or (in the modification of the lock adapted for use on chests or trunks) through a hook or other device answering the same purpose fastened to the lid of the trunk.

In the preferable form of my lock, as indicated in Figs. lto 5,I employ three disk tumblers 4 5 G. All the disks are placed in end alignment or facing each other. Disk 4, being the outer one, is provided with a projecting knob extending through the casing, which projection may be either a flat milled head or knob 7. The inner face of this tumbler is hollowed out, and the iiange 8 thus made has a recess 9 in it. From the inner face of this flange 8 projects a pin 10. The central tumbler resembles somewhat an ordinary anged wooden wheel, as it has trunnions 11 11 projecting from each side of it, said trunnions having bearings 12 12 in the adjacent disks. Each flanged face of this central tumbler has a recess 13 13 and 14 in alignment with each other. Removably secured in a rccess 15, cut in the periphery of the central tumbler 5 and projecting at both edges, is a stud 16. I illustrate two other recesses 15 15 in the periphery of this tumbler, said lastmentioned recesses being adapted to be filled with suitable plugs when the lock is in use, and, as is obvious, I may have from five to ten or twenty such recesses, in either of which the stud 16 may be placed in order to vary the permutations, one of the plugs 17 filling the place vacated by the stud 16. The inner tumbler (l has flanges extending toward the central tumbler, and, like tumbler 4, is provided with a recess 18 in. its flange and with a pin 19 on said flange, pointing toward the central tumbler, said last-mentioned recess and pin being in all respects like the similar parts 011 tumbler 4 except that they are transposed in position. The tumblers when in operative position are slightly separated, and when the recesses mentioned in the various tumblers are brought in alignment the bifurcated portions of the bolt and the pins thereon may pass in between said tumblers, which is the retracted position of the bolt.

20 indicates suitable flat metal springs secured on post 21 and bearing on the tumblers for the purpose of steadyin g them. Obviously this spring may be dispensed with.

Thebolt 2 has bifurcated inner ends 22 22, each provided with a pin 23 23, projecting above and below the bifurcated portions. About the center of the bolt on its outer side is a toothed rack 24, which may be integral with the bolt or secured thereto in any suitable manner. A pinion 25 meshes with this 4rack 24 in order to throw the bolt in or out.

A spindle or shaft 26 extends outwardly from the pinion through the casing, and at its outer end is provided with a milled head or knob 27 to operate the bolt 2 by turning the said knob 27 in onedirection or the other.

On the casing at the base of knob 7 is an indicating-mark 28-such, for instance, as an arrow-and upon the base of the knob is a series ofu letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, II, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, WV, X, Y, Z.7

The bolt 2 having been moved to lock the door in order to unlock it, the following is the operation, it being presumed that the tumblers have been turned so as to prevent the bolt being retracted by one to whom the com- ICO bination is not known. Itis to be understood that this is what is known as a threeletter permutation lock, although it can be mathematically demonstrated that at least a million different combinations may be formed by my simple look. On the base of the knob 7 are two arrows, letter R indicating right and L indicating left. Assuming the desired combination to be A E I, the operation in opening the lock would be as follows: The letter A on the base of the knob is placed in alignment with the indicating-mark 2S on the casing. The knob 27 is then given three turns to the right. By so doing the pin 10 on tumbler 11 contacts with stud 1G on the the central tumbler, causing the rotation of the latter, and the inner end of stud 16 contacts with pin 19 on the inner tumbler 6, which latter tumbler is thus caused to rotate. At the end of the third rotation to the right the recess 18 has been brought in alignment with the pin 23 on the bifurcated portion 22 of the bolt 2. The knob 7 is then turned to the left a distance equal to the space from the letter A toE, by which operation the pin 10 in the tumbler 4t engages the stud 16 on tumbler 5, and moving said tumbler so as to bring both its recesses 15 15 in alignment with the bifurcated portion of the bolt and with the re cess 18 in the tumbler G. The knob 7 is then turned to the right a distance equal to the space between the letters E and I on the dial, which causes the tumbler 4 to move so as to bring its recess 9 in alignment with the other recesses in the tumblers, all of said recesses now being in alignment with the pins 23 on the bifurcated portion 22 of the bolt 2.

. By new turning the knob 27 the pin connected therewith will retract the bolt from its locked position, whose inner bifurcated ends 22, with pins 28, enter the recesses in the tumbler, as already described. f

In order to retain the bolt in the unlocked position, it is only necessary to give the tumblers a slight movement through the medium of the knob 7, so as to turn the recesses away from the pins 23 on the bifurcated portions of the bolt.

In order to lock the bolt in position, the pins 23 and bifurcated portion 22 of the bolt are, through the medium of the knob 27, withdrawn from the hereinbefore-described rccesses in the tumblers 4, 5, and G, and the knob 7 turned any number of times, which revolution will bring the recesses in the tumblers out of alignment, and, as is obvious, the bolt cannot then be retracted.

The positions of the pins, studs, and recesses in all the tumblers may be varied in the same manner as I have described, so as to vary the position of the stud in the central tumbler by having a series of recesses around the per'ipheries of said tumblers and a series of plugs for filling the recesses not in use. By changing the positions of said pins and recesses, which may readily be accomplished by the owner of the safe, desk, or room upon avessi which my lock is placed, the number of permutations which may be made is almost unlimited.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. (i only two tumblers are employed, the central tumbler being omitted. This is what is known as a two-letter combination. The principle of its construction is the same as that of` the first invention described, the two tumblers 2S 29 being in all respects similar to the outer and inner tumblers of thelock first described. These tu mblers are also provided with adjustable pins and with recesses having removable plugs, so that the combinations may be varied as heretofore described. The bolt 30 is asingle bar working in guides and the inner end of which enters the recesses in the two tumblers. It is closed and retracted in the same manner as bolt 2. As is apparent, both locks shown may be employed on one door where greater security is essential, and the locks, or rather the bolts of each lock, might be connected by a suitable bar in such a manner that both might be operated simultaneously.

I desire to have it understood that I donot limit myself to the details of construction herein shown and described, since the construction may be varied slightly with equally goed results.

Having described my invention, what I claim herein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, withV two oppositelyplaced exterior tumblers having interior notched flanges thereon, of a central tumbler interposed between the said exterior tumblers and having notched annular flanges upon each side, each of the said tumblers having engaging projections thereon, a locking-bolt having a bifurcated rear end provided with shoulders adapted to bear upon the said flanges upon the tumblers orto pass through the notches thereof, and a graduated handle secured to one of the said exterior tumblers, substantially as described.

2. In a lock, the combination, with two oppositelyplaced exterior tumblers having notches and projections thereon,of a tumbler centrally placed between the said exterior tumblers and having notches and recesses in its periphery, of a stud. adapted to be removably secured in any of the said recesses and to engage the projections upon the exterior tumblers, a locking-bolt adapted to have its rear end bear against the periphery of the said tumblers or to pass into the notches therein, and a graduated handle secured to one of the said exterior tumblers, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with two oppositelyplaced exterior tumblers having projections and interior annular notched flanges thereon,

of a tumbler centrally placed between the said exterior tumblers and having annular notched Iianges upon its opposite sides and recesses in its periphery, a stud adapted to be removably contained in any of the said IOO IOS

IIO

recesses and to engage the projections upon the exterior tuinblers, a locking-bolt having a bifurcated rear shouldered end adapted to bear upon the flanges of the said tulnblers or to pass through the recesses therein, and a graduated handle secured to one of the eX- terior tumblers, substantially as described.

al. The combination, with two oppositelyplaced exterior tumhlers having projections and interior annular notched ilanges, of a tumbler centrally placed between the said exterior tnmblers and having annular flanges upon its opposite sides and having recesses in its periphery, each of the flanges upon the said central tumbler having a plurality of notches therein, a stud adapted to be removably secured in any of the said peripherical recesses and to make contact with the projections upon the exterior tulnblers, plugs JAMES E. R. RIDDICK.

W'itnesses:` v

JOSEPH H. RIDDICK, EXUM ELLIOTT. 

